Hubert Robert

Born May 22, 1733, in Paris; died there Apr. 15, 1808. French painter.

Robert worked in Paris except between 1754 and 1765, when he lived in Italy. He was made a member of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1767 and an honorary associate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1802. Robert participated in the redesign of the Versailles gardens in 1775. In 1784 he became a curator at the Louvre.

Robert’s paintings, which were influenced by G. B. Piranesi, are mostly representations of ancient ruins, park views, and various events from Parisian life. They reflect the artist’s vivid imagination and are marked by a subtle use of aerial perspective. Robert introduced rococo elements into his landscapes through the deliberate contrast of lively genre scenes with the massive architecture.